Toshiko Takaezu – Double-Spouted Vase

With a few deft alterations to the traditional vase form, Toshiko Takaezu transforms the function of a vase from that of holding flowers to holding its own as ceramic sculpture. Like a dividing biomorphic shape with nipple-like bumps and lush brown glazes, the work assumes a dynamic quality. In other vessel forms, such as her Moon Pot, Takaezu would finalize the transformation from utilitarian vessel to sculptural form by closing the opening altogether while retaining the beauty and power of the space-containing form.

This Double-Spouted Vase is a rare creation and the last one of its kind Takaezu created in the 1950s. The body of the form and the two spouts were thrown separately on a potter’s wheel and then joined together by hand. Although completed a few years after Takaezu left Cranbrook as a student, it beautifully represents the groundbreaking work she completed under the tutelage of master ceramist Maija Grotell.